Your Coaches

Serena Szombathy, Owner, Head Coach & Programmer, Stellar Crossfit

Being in the fitness industry for the past 18 years, Serena’s training beliefs have always been based on total body, real life movements. Serena was first certified by the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Academy) in 2001, when she began her career in personal training. After being introduced to CrossFit functional movements in 2011, she was intrigued and soon after, she was training in Crossfit exclusively, both for herself and for her personal training clients. Serena completed her Crossfit Level 1 Trainer Course in August 2012, continuing to spread the love of the sport to all of her athletes, and inspiring others to join her with her training. Serena then completed the Olympic Weightlifting Trainer’s Course at Foundry CrossFit in 2013, the Level 2 Coaches Prep Course a more advanced Crossfit certification, in the fall of 2014, and completed Crossfit Gymnastics Certification in September 2016 at Crossfit Costa Mesa. She started dreaming about opening her own Crossfit box in 2011, right after she began doing Crossfit, and soon after, she made that dream come true with Stellar Crossfit. Serena does all of the programming for Stellar, and is honored and humbled to have trained up all of the Crossfit coaches in Big Bear through Stellar.

Jill Zamoyta, Manager and Level 1 CrossFit Coach

As a Master’s educated teacher, coaching others at Stellar Crossfit comes naturally, and her passion shines through in everything she does. Jill derives great joy and satisfaction from coaching the amazing athletes at Stellar, and watching them become healthier, happier, and stronger every day. She has been known to cry happy tears for even the smallest triumphs that our athletes accomplish.

Jill completed her CrossFit Level 1 training in October of 2013, recertified in 2018, and is also certified in CrossFit Weightlifting (2015), CrossFit Gymnastics (2016), CrossFit Masters (2017), and CrossFit Scaling (2017). She has been coaching Crossfit since 2013, and has a special interest in working with Masters (40+)-level athletes to help spread the word that Crossfit is for everyone at every age! Jill turned 50 in 2018, and feels the best she ever has in her life, because of Crossfit. Before her Crossfit life, she had always been active. She competed in downhill and cross-country mountain bike racing all over the United States and Canada, as well as short-distance running, and even completed a couple of sprint-length triathlons! She always felt something was missing though, and after a back injury that left her debilitated as a 43-year old mom, she found Crossfit through her physical therapist, and started her journey back to fitness. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Alisha Albanese, USAW Weightlifting Coach and Personal Trainer

I walked into my first CrossFit gym 6 years ago and was hooked!
I love the competitiveness, team work, and overall mental toughness you are required to build.
Through CrossFit I was introduced to the Olympic lifts.
I started watching these Olympic weightlifting athletes and was so impressed with the power, technique, and flexibility of the sport.
I got my certification in hopes to help people complete goals they never thought were possible. I want to show you what your body is capable of and how to achieve it.